Unmanned aircraft or air vehicles (UAVs) provide enhanced and economical access to areas where manned flight operations are unacceptably costly and/or dangerous. For example, unmanned aircraft outfitted with remotely operated movable cameras and/or other surveillance payloads can perform a wide variety of surveillance missions, including spotting schools of fish for the fisheries industry, monitoring weather conditions, providing border patrols for national governments, and providing military surveillance before, during, and/or after military operations. The remotely controlled cameras on unmanned aircraft are typically carried by a gimbal system that controls and stabilizes movement of the camera during operation. The camera and gimbal system are, in turn, generally carried within a clear or at least partially clear housing positioned at or proximate to a nose portion of the aircraft fuselage.
This location offers excellent visibility for the camera during surveillance operations; however, the camera, the gimbal system, and the housing are highly susceptible to shock and vibrations produced by the engine and/or other components of the aircraft. Such vibrations are particularly difficult to isolate and/or dampen in piston-powered aircraft. If the vibrations are not adequately isolated, the vibrations can cause significant imaging problems (blurring, etc.). Moreover, excessive vibrations may also cause the highly complex and sensitive surveillance components to malfunction and/or become inoperable. In addition to the problems associated with the surveillance equipment, shocks and vibrations produced by the engine (or other aircraft components) can also negatively affect a number of other aircraft systems and/or payloads.